Ricardo Dos Santos: Sprinter anxious about driving after police stop

A sprinter who was allegedly racially profiled during a stop and search says he is now anxious driving around London in case police pull him over.

Ricardo Dos Santos published a series of video tweets of him being pulled over and questioned by police in Paddington at 04:00 BST on Sunday.

He says it is the third time in two years he has been stopped by police.

The Met has referred itself to the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Mr Dos Santos explained he had been driving his Tesla car along the A40 Westway and "went around" the police car to avoid driving into the back of it.

He then continued driving for a further five minutes before pulling over on Orsett Terrace.

Seven armed police officers approached him and suspected him of using his phone while driving.

Mr Dos Santos said he was able to show he had not been and was let go.

When asked what he thought the reason was behind police pulling him over more than once, he said: "I can't tell you why. I've recently changed cars, I've got a family car just so I can stand out a lot less, but I guess it's not the car, it's the person driving the car.

"They saw me, they thought that I was on my phone, but I proved to them that I wasn't on my phone."

When asked how safe he felt driving around London following the incident, he replied: "I honestly don't. I don't feel safe at all.

"The first thing I said to myself when I saw the car was, 'Is it going to happen?'

"And every time I do see a police car when I'm driving I think, 'Is it going to happen this time? Will it happen this time? When is it going to happen again?"'

On Monday, the Met said it had "recorded this matter as a public complaint" and referred itself to the police watchdog, "recognising the public interest".

In an earlier statement, the Met said: "Following the conversation the vehicle was allowed on its way.

"We have since contacted the driver via Twitter to invite him to contact us if he would like to discuss this matter further."

Mr Dos Santos said he would not have direct contact with the Met but would leave it to his lawyer to deal with.

In July 2020, footage of Mr Dos Santos and Team GB sprinter Bianca Williams being searched and handcuffed was widely shared on social media.

Ms Williams later accused the police of racially profiling them.

After the search, details of the couple's three-month-old baby were also stored on a police database called Merlin, used to record information on children who become known to the authorities.

Three days after the incident, the Met apologised to Ms Williams.

In April it was announced five officers will face a gross misconduct hearing over the 2020 stop-and-search.

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